Method op making rubber tubes



1927. May J. D. TEW' METHO'D oF MAKING RUBBER TUBES -Filed April 13,'1925 im nNfllw y .o

Patented May 10, i927.

UNITED srarrzs PATENT OFFICE.l

JAMES D. TEW, 0F HUDSON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. ll'. GOODRIOH COMPANY, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF MAKING RUBBER TUBES.

Application filed April 13, 1925. Serial No. 22,549.

i rIhis i invent-ion relates to `methods and apparatus for making rubber tribes such, for example, as are used as inner tubes for pneumatic tires.

My chief objects are to provide improved procedure and apparatus whereby the tubes may be rapidly and economically manutactured from material drawn from a source of supply as a continuous strip, and especially a source of supply sach as a calender delivering` the material continuously and at a substantially constant rate. Further objects are to eliminatethe use of a liner for the handling of material such as rubberI stock between the calendering thereof and its incorporation into the tube, and to eliminate reeling, storing and other operations heretofore commonly employed in the handling of the stock. Another object is to obtain improved adhesion of seams or laminations of the. sheeted stock in the tube.

` Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation7 parts being` shown in section, of the. preferred appara tris embodying and adapted to carry ont my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a` fragmentary perspective view of an inner tube mandrel and atnbe built thereon by the use of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a calender' 10 provided with slitting knives 1l, 11 and adapted to deliver a strip of sheeted rubber stoclr it?. of enitable width to be wrapped into the torni of a tribe 13 upon a mandrel 141, as shown in llinj- 3. The strip 12 is here shown as beingl of such width as to provide a laminated tribe Vbut the number of convolntions of stock in the tube is not material to my invention.

Mount-ed in suitable framing at the delivery side of the calender and adapted to receive the continuous stock strip 1Q. thercfrom is an endless-belt conveyor 15 adapted to be continuously driven, by a motor 16, through a variable-speed drive 17, of known construction, to draw the stock strip 12 from the calender and deliver it continuously into a reserve loon or festoon 18. said reserve loop being supported by guide rolls 19, j onrnaled :in a high part of the framing so as to provide for adequate length of the loop, and provided with a floating roll 21, having trunnions extending into vertical slots such as the slot 22 in the framing,v for continuously drawing the strip into the reserve loop and permitting its intermittent with.- drawal therefrom. A guide roll 23 is provided to compel horizontal movement of the Strip to the delivery end of, and in drivingl engagement with, the conveyor- 15, and vertical movement of the strip therefrom to the festoon-supporting roll 19, so that the inertia of the floating roll 21, in the rising and falling thereof will not, in changing the tension upon thestrip, cause the latter to vary its course or the extent of its driving engagement with the conveyor 15.

F or intermittently withdrawing the strip 12 from the reserve loop or festoon 18, in movements corresponding -snbetantially to the length of the tube to be formed, and for conveying the stock to a tube rolling station, an endless-belt conveyor E24 is mounted in the framing and adapted to be intermittently driven by a` ratchet-and-pawl, racln and-pinion mechanism of which the rack is designated 25, said rack having connection through a pitman 26 with a crank 27 secured on a shaft 28 adapted to be driven, through a chain 9.9, from the end of the variable speed device 1'? from which the conveyor 15 is driven, so that adjustment of the variable speed device may be employed to govern the speed of both the constantly driven conveyor 15 and the intermittently driven conveyor' Qt in accordance with the speed of the calender, the drive ratio of the two conveyors being such that the intermittent withdrawal of stoel; bythe conveyorx Qd substantially eipiivalent 'in rate of feed to the continuous feed of the conveyor 15:VI so that the iioating roll may n'iaintaii. hri'ingh out a long period of operation substantially the same range of ris-e and fall in its guide slots 22. Y

A guide roll il() jonrnaled at the receiving endof the conveyor 9.4i and adapted to compel the strip to pass verticallyr downward from the guide roll 20 and horir/.ontally onto the conveyor 9A, so that variations of tension in the stoclt due to inertia ot the floating` roll 21 will not cause variation in the line of feed of the stock strip.

Mounted under the upper reach of the conveyor 2li adjacent the delivery end thereof is a. table 31 adapted to support the overlying portion of the conveyor and thus provide a straight and flatly supported zone thereof for the tube rolling operation. llroine Il l) jeetinpT lateralliT freni tbe table are a pair of rails 32, adapted v'to receive and support an accumulation of rolled tubes with the niandrels therein as the latte1 are rolled tliereonto 'lroin the table, tlie eaid rails being` suitablyr spaced apart to engage tbe end portions of tbe mandrele beyond the endel of the tubes mounted thereon.

A Series of Supporting' rolle 33, 33 mayY be journaled on tlie i aine under the upper reaeli of the Conveyor 24; te prevent eagqing oli libe portion tliereolf n'liieli earries i'lie strip to tlie table 3l, and so lo imiintain lille Strip in a eubslznitially el'raigrlil'? lunizfuil'ul condition lor tlie perlnrnninee of Severino' or blank-eudingY operations thereon.

lin tbe operation oli tbe apparatius, lflie calender l() boing;v operaleijl to deliver llie Strip l2, tbe latter is led onto lille conveyor l5 with su'llieient slack in the intermediate reaeli, as shown at the numeral .l2 in lollig. l, to avoid rupture oll tlie Strip in ease tbe Speed of the conveyors is not perleetly` oontrolled, and the strip is led about the Several rolls 23, 19, 2l, 2() and 30 and started upon the Conveyor 2-l ae Shown Clearly` in Fig. l., the 'floating roll 2l being given suoli initial position with relation to the intermittent drive ineelianisn'i oi' the conveyor 24 as to give it tlie proper range ol' riee and lall Within the liinitg of tbe Slots 22 in the subsequent intermittent feeding` of tbe strip by said conveyor.

[is the strip is Carri-ed forward on the conveyor 2li an operator severe it tranei'ereely to produce blanks l2, l2" of suitable length to loe rolled upon respective inandrels suoli as tlie mandrel lei-v, preferably cuttingout and returningto the Calender intervening` Zones of stock suoli as l2, between the successive blanks, so that eaeli blank 12 in 'its original relative position upon tlie Conveyor mail be rolled, 'n'lien it arrivee over the table 3la upon a mandrel inaeae of greater length tlnin lxlie blauli, 'lo leave tbe end portions olf tbe mandrel exposed, ilfor Convenient liaiullinp)v olI llie aueembly, n'itlioul. 'tbe .nnmdrel eomingr into eonluet nf'itli the next blank. rlflie tranrnlerse culs are made eueli poeitionu upon the eoni'eyor with relulion lio the latterla` interuni tent leed9 Snell poeilioneI beine AInarli'ed un by the arrows S-l;l` l-l; upon l'lie Alrame oli tbe niaoliine7 that eaeb blanliY stops over lille luble 3l for llie rollingl operation between Sneeeeuire 'leediinpy moremenle` oi llie ron-- reyor. ne eaell blank so eliopsi :i mandrel lei, is rolled upon il, and pieles il up in lbe forni ol? a lnbev and the mandrel. will tbe lube tllereon in rolled onl'o lille storage railei Sill.

rlllie operation ie 'npid and eeonemieal and tlie stoeli is wrapped upon tbe mandrel n'liile it is still in a lfreeli and liuc-life rondiliion fromv tbe enlenderinol lliereol, no 'l'luil good adhesion of seams or oli pliee` is obtained. i

illy invention is Suueeptible olf niodilieution nitliin tbe Scopo ol llie uppeiuled claim, and is nel; .intended lo be .limited by Said claim except as ma),7 be required by prior art.

l Claim: The nielliod oi making; rubber 'lnbest Wliieli comprises lforming;- mieeel-aeire elongated blanke oli warm und laeli'y rubber stock, longitndinallyY 'feedingl tbe Said blanks of Stock in pi.'oee;=sion to a rolling` position Without intermediate Storase nl" the blanks, and tliere mounlinpj eueli lilanli upon a mandrel by rollimr l'lie mandrel. transversely upon lzlio blank7 l'lie blanke being' iliorined in spaced-apart relation in pro eeesion by Severini; and removing; uonea o'l steelt from a eontinuoue` `@trip olf .=-l'oelc.

ln Witness wliereolI l bare liereunlo eel` ny band tliiu lltli dai* o'i "lprilH |9535.

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